Most Influential Women

Francine Parker

Executive director,
UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust

Vickie Elmer

Career ladder: Parker, 61, started at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, and joined Health Alliance Plan, or HAP, in 1979 as one of 14 original employees. She worked her way up to when, in 2004, she was named president and CEO of HAP and senior vice president for Henry Ford Health System. She retired in 2008, but in her words she "flunked retirement" and came on as a consultant and then executive director to the UAW medical benefits trust, which she launched and built, allowing retirees to gain benefits rather than lose them.

Power metrics: The UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust provides access to health care coverage for nearly 720,000 retirees and their dependents from GM, Chrysler and Ford, making it the largest nongovernmental purchaser of U.S. retiree health care. It has approximately $60 billion in assets and spends $4.2 billion on health care annually.

Super power: "I am highly organized, analytical and decisive. I use data to make decisions. ... I am a clear thinker and can get to the heart of a matter quickly. Importantly, I have a good eye for good people, for developing sometimes raw talent."

Big wins: Following HAP's acquisition of SelectCare in 2001, Parker and her leadership team led the integration of the two businesses into one. "This was a huge learning experience for all involved. Little did I know then that my acquisition and integration experience at HAP would inform my second 'win' — leading a team to build the UAW trust's operations literally from the ground up. We had to build the infrastructure — from benefit development to carrier contracting, to pharmacy network contracting, etc. — to serve members in all 50 states. When we hit the go-live button at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2010, 850,000 retiree members were looking to the trust to manage their health care benefits. We were ready."

I recently learned to: Influence health policy at the national level. After years in mostly operations roles, "it was surprising to me how much I enjoy advocating for and educating others on health care issues."

Board/community connections: Member of the board of trustees of Dana VEBA, Bosch VEBA and ACC VEBA; board member of Siena Heights University; past chairman, board of regents, and a former regent for Eastern Michigan University; chairman of the board of the Greater Detroit Area Health Council; board member of the Alliance for Health Reform.

Surprising fact: "I can operate in an extrovert world. … Actually, I am an introvert."

Best mentor: Her mother. Angelina Parker, 86 years old. "She is strong-willed, independent and determined. Widowed with four daughters, she was resilient, organized and giving. She worked for Detroit Public Schools as a paraprofessional. She invented the word 'multitask.' She is my inspiration."

How she assists other women: "At the national and state level, one of the UAW trust's major corporate governance initiatives is advocating for gender and cultural diversity on governing boards of publicly traded companies where the trust is an investor." This initiative has resulted in 14 female directors elected to 12 company boards since 2012.

Next big goal: Parker wants to keep building the trust and how it delivers health care to retirees. "The trust is at the forefront of reshaping how policymakers, payers and providers approach health care for retirees. It is a completely different demographic. I could not be in a more exciting point in my career. At the trust, we are still writing the script."

Advice for young professionals: "I would encourage people to get involved — to get involved in organizations, in nonprofits. ... The more people you're exposed to, you can learn from those people. Pick up what works: How do they connect? How do they lead? How do they manage? ... Maintain your friendships and relationships over the years. And just because you have a relationship doesn't mean you're not a tough negotiator and you stand up."

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